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0. G. D. WATKINS.

VIOLIN TAIL PIECE AND CHIN REST.

No. 450,270. Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. D. \VATKINS, OF STEELE, NORTH DAKOTA, ASSIG-NOR OF ONE- HALFTO XVILLIAM A. FRIDLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

VIOLIN TAlL-PIECE AND CHIN-REST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,270, dated April14, 1891.

Application filed July 29, 1390.

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. D. WATKINs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Steele, in the county of Kidder and State of NorthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a ViolinTail-Piece and Chin-Rest Combined; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as willenable others skilled in the art t 0 which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

1.5 My invention has relation generally to that class of musicalinstruments which are played by a bow, and particularly to thetail-piece and chin-rest thereof.

The objects of the invention are, first, to

increase the vibration of the strings upon actuation, and therebycorrespondingly increase the resonance of the sound produced in playingthe instrument; second, to prevent interruption of the sound vibrationsas caused by the direct contact of the chin or chin-rest with the bodyof the instrument, and, third, to attain these objects with structuralsimplicity and economy.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel features in theconstruction of the tail-piece and chin-rest and in the novel combination thereof, substantially as hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

3 5 In'the accompanying drawings Illustrating the invention, Figure 1 isa plan view of part of a violin with my improved tail-piece andchin-rest applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side View of the tail-piecedetached, and Fig. 3 is 40 an elevation view of the chin-rest detached.

The same letters of reference designate the same parts in the severalviews.

A designates the violin-body, B the tailpiece, and O the violin-strings,which are secured at their rear ends to the forward end of thetail-piece in the ordinary and wellknown manner. This tail-piece isformed at its rear end with a depending projection Z), from the lowerend of which projects inward Serial No. 360,301. No model.)

ens the tail-piece, which, as stated, being elas- 6o tic, causes theresulting sound to be louder, softer, and more resonant, and, in fact,nearly double the volume of sound produced by violins in which isemployed the ordinary rigid tail-piece movably secured to the body ofthe violin by the usual peg and gut or wire attachment. The upper ormain part B of the tailpiece is formed near its rear end with adovetailed recess or groove 12 which is designed to receive a projectiond", extending from the chin-rest D. The thickness of the chin-restincreases gradually from the wall (Z to the curved end (1, and decreasesgradually, transversely, from its forward side (Z to its rear side at.It is preferably made of the same material as the tail-piece, andinterposed between it and the belly of theinstrument is an elastic pegor cork (P, the upper end of which is received by a recess formed in theunder side of said chin-rest, which peg prevents di- 8o rect contact ofthe rigid chin rest with the violin-body.

I have hereinabove described my invention in its application solely tothe violin; but it is obvious that it is equally applicable to all 8 5bow-instruments. The chin-rest, not being needed in connection with thelarger bow instruments, can be readily removed, as it simply has adovetailed connection with the tailpiece, as described. 0

Having now described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improved article of man ufacture, an elastic tail-piece forviolins concaved through- 5 out its length, and having at its rear end adepending projection and a peg extending inward from the lower end ofsaid projection,

all of said parts being integral, substantially elastic peg interposedbetween said chin-rest as described, and for the purposes specified. andthe belly of the violin. 1o

2. The combination, with a tail-piece having In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature in a dovetailed groove near its rear end, of apresence of two witnesses.

5 chin-rest having a dovetailed projection re- CHARLES G. D. WVATKINS.ceived by said groove in the tail-piece. Witnesses:

3. The combination, with a tail-piece for CHARLES H. STANLEY,

violins, of a ehin-rest secured thereto and an XV. A. FRIDLEY.

